Bell Sounds from the 20th - December 13

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family, and that you are enjoying the countdown to Christmas. It is always a busy but wonderful time of year.

Let me start by thanking each and every one of you for the support you gave us in the recent election. Although I was unopposed, I still received a humbling outpouring of support from across the 20th District. Anne and I are continually grateful for your continued support.

As Christmas approaches, so does the 2014 General Assembly Session. We convene on January 8, 2014 for what is scheduled to be a 60 day Session. With a new administration, 14 newly elected members of the House of Delegates, and 7 new House committee chairman, it is sure to be a learning experience for all of us.

Joint Town Hall Meeting

Delegates Landes, Cline, and I will once again be hosting a pre-session Joint Town Hall meeting this year. This meeting will be held at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, December 17 at Guy K. Stump Elementary School in Stuarts Draft.

We will be providing an overview of what is expected for the 2014 General Assembly Session, and taking your questions and comments on the issues that are important to you.

I hope to see many of you there!

Legislative Survey

Each year I conduct a legislative survey to help me stay attuned to the policy positions of those I represent in Richmond. We are working on the survey now, and hope to have it out to you via email within the next week or so.

Please keep close watch over your email inbox over the next couple of weeks for this survey. The results are extremely helpful to me, and allow me to better represent you in Richmond.

Where to Go From Here

Like myself, I know that many of you are disappointed with the results we saw at the polls in November. Though we held a strong majority in the House of Delegates, I know we will feel the losses of the Governorship and Lieutenant Governorship for some time. Recounts are underway for the Attorney General race, and my hopes are that we will prevail.

After any political loss, it is natural to look back and see what we could’ve done differently. It is also natural to look to what we can do in the future to prevent this from happening again.

Recently, I received an email from a constituent. I believe he made some good points on the need for unity in our party and the need for a stronger campaign message going forward into 2014.

In November of 2014 the country will once again face an important choice. The status quo is not working, and we must work together to offer a clear and unified alternative.

With his permission, I have pasted his email below. I hope you will take a look at this and consider his words.

It’s a simple phrase, one the Democrats understand and one for which the Republicans, Tea Partiers, Libertarians and Conservatives have not a clue. “What’s in it for me?” Democrats recognize this and apply Saul Alinsky’s “Rules for Radicals” and the technology of “The Victory Lab” to carry this marketing message to their base. Republicans only offer, “the roses smell sweet, smell them.”

So, what is the Republican etal’s campaign message? What are they trying to sell? The answer today is they are against, not for, and they lose elections. If it were not for the Obamacare, Benghazi, Syria, NSA and IRS scandals, Obama would have already been crowned king.

Establishment Republicans cling to their place in a strong national government almost as a “Rite of Passage”. But, the “Right” is no longer theirs. Libertarians do not understand that they are really “States’ Righters” but their message is akin to that of the two national political parties. Conservatives seem not to understand their genesis and get mired in anti-abortion and some vague fiscal restraint rhetoric. The Tea Party echoes the outpouring of Boston Harbor in that something is wrong with the tenets of government but they fail to articulate what.

Republicans speak to a strong national defense without considering what that defense should be. Do we need tanks and supersonic fighter aircraft in this day of cyber warfare, intercontinental missiles and a clandestine enemy? Every man woman and child in the nation owes our debt holders some $60,000 each just to pay off the current national debt. Deficit spending runs unabated, the Fed keeps cranking out paper money, inflation looms and all we can say is “more”.What’s that Republican 2014 campaign message again?

Contact

As the session approaches, I look forward to hearing from many of you regarding the issues that matter most to you. I encourage you to contact us by email at deldbell@house.virginia.gov, or by phone at 540-448-3999.

Please be aware that this is an extremely busy time of year for us, and the email volume increases drastically. We do our best to respond to each email as quickly as possible, and appreciate your patience.